Automatic feeder for twine-making machines



(No Model.)

G.'A. LOWRY. 'AUTOMATIG FEEDER FOR TWINE MAKING MACHINES. No. 480,873.

Patented Aug. 16, 1892.

WITNESSES 4-! TTORNEYJ m: noams PETERS co, PMUTD-LITHD msuma'mn, n. c.

NlTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

GEORGE A. LO\VRY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC FE EDER FOR TWINE-MAKING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,873, dated August16, 1892. Application filed June 4, 1891. Serial No. 395,016. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LOWRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new useful Improvement in Automatic Feeders for Twine-MakingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in automatic feeders fortwine-machines of the general class for which an application for LettersPatentwas filed by me on the 22d day of December, 1890, bearing SerialNo. 375,524.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Like letters of reference are used to designate the same parts in theseveral figures of the drawings, in which Figure 1 is avertical sectionof my improved feeder, and Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a portion ofthe platform of the feeder and the endless feedingchain used inconnection therewith.

A designates the hopper, which may be of any suitable form ofconstruction. This hopper leads to the platform B, at the opposite endof which is a wheel or spider O, having a nu mber of spokes whichproject therefrom, and are successively brought adjacent to the platformand the material thereon. Mounted adjacent to the spider is a spring oryielding stop which normally rests against the end of one of the spokesof the spider and prevents the rotation of the latter until thespringpressure of the stop is overcome. In the present instance I haveshown the stop in the form of a vertical bolt, pressed downward by asurrounding coiled spring, the whole being designated by the letter D.

At a pointin the platform near the hopper A, I cut a slot which extendsthe proper distance longitudinally of such platform, and underneath suchplatform I mount two sprocketwheels F F, whose upper edges pass throughthe slot in the platform and are approximately level with the upper sidethereof. Around these sprocket-wheels is passed an endless chain E,composed of jointed sections in the usual manner and provided atintervals with pivoted plates G, which latter are preferably providedwith a horizontal tongue to hold the main portion of the plate uprightand in a rigid position While they are feeding the grass. That portionof the slot between the sprocket-wheels is covered by a horizontal plateL of metal or other suitable material, which plate may be let into arabbet in the top surface of the platform, so that it will be flushtherewith, and thereby furnish a smooth supporting-surface for thehinged plates to travel upon until they pass beyond the same. Hingedplates of this kind have been fully described in my former applicationbefore referred to. I also prefer to mount above the platform a frameII, composed of a bar held at a certain distance above the platform,which rests upon the grass transversely of the length of the same andprevents such grass from bunching up. The bar H extends horizontallyabove the platform and serves to keep the grass in position, and at oneend this bar is projected at an upward inclinationto form the upper partof the hopper, and at its other end it has an angular portion which isutilized as a bearing for the wheel or spider. Two brackets K K, securedto the main frame of the machine, are also attached to the bar H andserve to support it.

Various modifications may be made in the construction herein shown anddescribed by persons skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention.

The operation of my improved feeder is as follows: The grass is placedin the hopper A and is fed toward the rear of the platform by means ofthe endless chain provided with the plates. This endless chain isarranged to feed the grass from the hopper somewhat faster than thenippers remove it from the platform; but when the amount of grass fed tothe nippers becomes too great its pressure upon the wheel or spider Cwill be sufficient to overcome the action of the yielding stop, andconsequently the wheel or spider will turn the distance of one notch ortooth and carry the surplus grass into the pan I at the end of theplatform, from which it can afterward be taken and put back into thehopper.

It is manifest that the spider and yielding stop act as a safety-valveto regulate the quantity of grass presented to the nippers at any onetime and that this regulator may be employed for Various kinds ofcarriers or feeders.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is-

1. In an automatic feeder for a twine-machine, the combination of afeeding mechanism with a revoluble wheel or spider located in the pathof the material being fed and normally stopping the passage of the sameso as to form a pile, and a yielding stop for normally limiting therevolution of such wheel 01' spider and periodically releasing the samewhen the excess of material in the pile or bundle overcomes the actionof such stop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an automatic feeder, the combination of mechanism for regularlyfeeding forward the material with a revoluble wheel or spider arrangedin the path of such material and at a suitable distance from the feedingmechanism and a spring-acted bolt resting normally against one of thespokes of the spider and tending normally to limit its revolution,whereby the material will be fed forward into a bundle or pile againstthe wheel, and when such bundle or pile becomes too large the excess ofpressure will overcome the springaoted bolt, and the wheel or spiderwill then revolve and carry off a portion of the accumulated material,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an automatic feeder, the combination of a feeding-platform andendless chain provided with plates projecting through such platform nearone end thereof, a wheel or spider mounted adjacent to the other end ofsuch platform, and a spring-acted bolt resting against one of the spokesof such wheel or spider and acting to restrain the revolution of thelatter, except under the accumulation of pressure, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twoWitnesses.

GEORGE A. LOWRY.

Witnesses:

J. L. GERRY, LLEWELLYN C. MERRILL.

